Napoléon Bonaparte (himself of a noble
family) ruled France from 1799 to 1804 as First Consul, and from 1804
to 1814 as Emperor of the French (as well as a 3-month period in 1815,
called the Hundred Days).

Napoléon found a number of ways to reward and distinguish those
who served his regime well. The first institution was the Légion
d'Honneur, created on May 19, 1802. Although the grand-fiefs were created
in Italy, outside of the French Empire, in 1806, the restoration of titles
and of heraldry, which had been abolished in 1790, did not come until a
statute of March 1, 1808. Technically, it was not a restoration of nobility,
which Napoleon had sworn never to tolerate, and which would have been characterized
by inequality before the law. In fact, the words "nobility" and "noble"
are never used in the statutes, and the law on majorats(see below) explicitly
states that the majorats confer no right or privilege whatsoever (Senatus-consulte
of Aug 14, 1806, art. 6; confirmed by statute of March 1, 1808, art. 74).
In 1814, when monarchy was restored, the Charter used the term "new nobility"
when referring to the Napoleonic titles, but again specified that nobility
conferred no exemption from the burdens and duties of society. In practice,
the term of nobility is nowadays sometimes used as a short-hand to designate
the collection of titles granted during the Empire.

A decree of May 17, 1809 extended the right to arms to cities, corporations
and associations which applied for them.

Napoléon's Titles

French Empire

Creation of the Empire

The First French Empire lasted from 1804 to 1814 (and was briefly restored
from March to June 1815, a period known as "the Hundred Days").

It resulted from the transformation of the French Republic, in existence
since 22 Sept 1792, into an Empire. Strictly speaking, the Republic
remained in name. The French Senate voted a law
on May 18, 1804 whose first article reads: "The government of the Republic
is vested in an Emperor, who takes the title of Emperor of the French."
The second article read: "Napoléon Bonaparte, currently First Consul
of the French Republic, is Emperor of the French." The law was proclaimed
on May 20, 1804. No contradiction was seen between France being a Republic
and it being governed by an Emperor. Indeed, until 1808, French coins bore
"République Française" on one side and "Napoléon Empereur"
on the other, pursuant to a decree of June 26, 1804 that
only modified the legend on the obverse, replacing "Bonaparte
Premier Consul" with "Napoleon Empereur". The legend on the
reverse was only modified by decree of October 22, replacing "Republique Française"
with "Empire français" as of Jan 1, 1809).
This was a return to the Roman use of the word Emperor (Augustus
was officially only the first citizen of the Roman Republic).

A referendum took place in late May 1804. It did not bear on either
the imperial dignity or its bestowal on Napoleon, but rather on the question
of heredity of the imperial dignity. The text of the referendum was: "the
people want the imperial dignity to be hereditary in the direct, natural,
legitimate and adoptive line of Napoléon Bonaparte and in the direct,
natural and legitimate line of Joseph Bonaparte and Louis Bonaparte, as
provided by the law of [May 18]."

The territories of the French Empire already exceded the boundaries
of 1789 France, as a result of annexations: Comtat-Venaissin (1791), Savoie
(1792), Belgium and Germany up to the Rhine (1795), all of which were confirmed
by the peace of Lunéville in 1801. The territory increased
further as a result of other annexations:

Kehl, Cassel, Wesel, Flessingen (21 Jan 1808)

Parma, Piacenza, Tuscany (24 May 1808)

Netherlands (9 July 1810)

Rome and the Papal states (17 May 1809, 17 Feb 1810)

Valais (12 Nov 1810)

various German territories (13 Dec 1810)

Law of Succession

The rules on inheritance of the imperial dignity are described in detail
in the law of May 18. Women and their issue were excluded forever. Napoléon
could adopt a son or grandson of one of his brothers Joseph or Louis, if
he had no children of his own. No other adoptions were allowed. Joseph
and Louis and their issue were in line after Napoléon's own issue.
Princes were forbidden from marrying without prior consent, on pain of
losing their succession rights and excluding their issue; but if the marriage
ended without children, the prince would recover his rights.

A decree of March 30, 1806 defined the
status of the imperial family. It was composed of (1) the princes apt to
succeed as defined by the Constitution,
their spouses and their descendance in legitimate marriage, (2) the sisters
of Napoléon, their spouses and their descendants in legitimate marriage
to the 5th generation included, (3) the adopted children of the Emperor
and their legitimate descent. The decree laid down many rules on the behavior
of the members of the family; the most predictable one was that formal
written assent from the Emperor (in a closed letter sealed by the Chancelor)
was required for any marriage to be legally valid; in the absence of consent,
the marriage was null and void and any descent was illegitimate. Many other
rules were also set down: the Emperor could exile members of his family,
or exile people whose influence he disapproved of; he decided on their
education, where they lived, etc.

End of the Empire

On April 1, 1814, the victorious Allied troups occupied Paris, and Czar
Alexander I of Russia issued a proclamation to the effect that the Allies
would respect the constitution that France would choose for itself, but
that they would not deal with Napoleon or any member of his family. The
Senate met the next day and proclaimed: "Napoléon Bonaparte est
déchu du trône et le droit d'hérédité
établi dans sa famille est aboli." The next day, the Corps Législatif
signalled its agreement: "Le Corps Législatif [...] reconnaît
et déclare la déchéance de Napoléon Bonaparte
et des membres de sa famille." Napoleon himself formally renounced the
thrones of France and Italy "for himself and his posterity" on April 11,
1814. This renunciation was enshrined in a formal treaty between himself
on one hand, Russia, Austria and Prussia on the other hand, signed at Fontainebleau
on the same day. Great Britain acceded to the treaty of Fontainebleau on
27 April, the Provisional Government of France accepted it on April 11,
and an official note by Louis XVIII's minister of foreign affairs of 30
May indicated the king's intention to abide the terms of the treaty. Thus,
Napoleon's renunciation was an act of international law. The treaty gave
him sovereignty over Elba, and gave Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla as hereditary
domain for his wife and their son (the treaty of Vienna of June 1815, however,
only gave Parma to Napoleon's wife for her life and left the details of
reversion for another treaty; that treaty, signed in Paris on June 10,
1817, left Parma to the dynasty of Bourbon-Parma; for a short while, though,
Napoleon's son was styled "principe di Parma"). The treaty of Fontainebleau
also made other arrangements for Bonaparte family members.

Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba, off the coast of Italy; he
was given sovereignty over the island for his lifetime (the arms of the
island under Napoleon were argent on a bend gules three bees or).
But Napoleon decided to take advantage of the fragility of the restored
Bourbon regime in France, and returned to France. Upon landing at Golfe-Juan,
on March 1, 1815, he resumed the imperial dignity. The defeat at Waterloo
on June 18 left him with no choice but to abdicate, this time in favor
of his son Napoleon II, who was proclaimed in Paris on 22 June 1815.
On July 1, 1815 the Bourbons returned to Paris and put an end to "les Cent
Jours".

Kingdom of Italy

The kingdom of Italy resulted from the transformation of the Italian Republic,
formerly known as the Cisalpine Republic, whose creation in 1796 was recognized
by the Treaty of Campo-Formio of Oct 1797.

Napoléon was already president of the Italian Republic.
He was proclaimed king of Italy in Paris on March 16, 1805 by delegates
of the Republic. Napoléon intended to leave the kingdom of Italy
to a younger son of his and maintain France and Italy as separate realms:
these intentions are expressed in the constitutional
statute of March 17, 1805, which indicates that the two crowns could
never be united, and that Napoléon's successors in Italy had to
reside there; but that separation of the crowns would take place only once
Sicily, Malta and the Ionian Islands had been joined to the kingdom, and
a general peace prevailed in Europe. (See also
the full texts in Italian).

When Venice was united to the kingdom
of Italy on March 30, 1806, the title of "prince of Venice" was reserved
for the heir presumptive to the kingdom of Italy (art. 9). A statute of
June 5, 1805 defined the position of viceroy of Italy, to which Napoléon
appointed Eugène de Beauharnais (1781-1824), son of his wife Joséphine
from her first marriage. The Prince Eugène was adopted on 12 Jan,
1806 with no rights to the French succession, but he was given presumptive
rights to the throne of Italy in the absence of a second son of Napoleon
on February 16, 1806, and given
the title of Prince of Venice on December 20, 1807.

The arms of the kingdom of Italy were:
Tierced per pale: 1) per fess a) Gules on a gonfalone two keys per
saltire all or (Parma-Farnese) and b) Azure an eagle displayed argent,
wings inverted, crowned and armed or (Modena-Este); 2) Argent a serpent
erect per vert, crowned or, swallowing a child gules (Lombardia); 3) per
fess, a) Azure the lion of Saint-Mark or (Veneto) and b) Gules on a cross
argent a label or and in base sinister a tower of the second (Bologna).
Overall an escutcheon bearing: or a crown radiant vert, on a bordure gules
8 plates. The shield encircled by the collar of the Legion of Honor
on the breast of an imperial eagle or, within a mantle gules lined ermine,
crowned by a royal crown.

The kingdom was enlarged with the annexation of Urbino, Ancona, Macerate
and Camerino (part of the Papal states) on 2 Apr 1808. The territories
ceded by Austria on the coast of the Adriatic may have formed part of the
kingdom. They were collectively organized into the "Illyrian Provinces"
on 14 Oct 1809 (comprising Villach, Carniola, Istria, Fiume, Trieste, Dalmatia,
parts of Croatia).

When Rome and the remainder of the Papal states was united to
the French Empire on February 17, 1810, Rome was given the rank of second
city of the Empire, and the title of "roi de Rome" was reserved for the
Prince Imperial ("art. 7: le prince impérial porte le titre et reçoit
les honneurs de Roi de Rome"). It was subsequently born by Napoleon (1811-32),
the Emperor's only son.

Le Roi de Rome, par Pierre-Paul Prud'hon.

Napoleonic Titles

Aside from the kingdoms and sovereign grand-duchies that Napoléon
created as he rearranged the map of Europe, he also established a hierarchy
of titles. The first batch of titles were created in 1806: these were territorial
principalities ceded as "immediate fiefs of the crown", or "great fiefs
of the crown" established in Italy on particular lands, a 1/15th of whose
income was attached to the title as revenue. Furthermore, a statute
of 1806 foresaw the creation of further titles.

This was carried out in 1808, by a decree
of March 30, 1808 on titles. Napoléon created a full-blown hierarchy
of titles: prince, duc, comte, baron, chevalier (each qualified
as de l'Empire: prince de l'Empire, duc de l'Empire, etc). For some
reason, Napoléon found the titles of marquis and vicomte ridiculous,
and never bestowed them.

The titles were either life titles or hereditary titles. A hereditary
title had to have an endowment called majorat
attached to it. The endowment could be provided by the Emperor himself
out of his personal estate (the domaine extraordinaire, resulting
from conquests and confiscations) in the case of a majorat de propre
mouvement or proprio motu, or it could be formed by the title holder.

The life titles of dukes, counts and barons were automatically conferred
to the holders of certain offices or positions. To become a hereditary
title, the recipient had to establish a majorat. The title of chevalier
d'Empire was originally conferred on members of the Légion
d'Honneur, although it ultimately became distinct from membership.
Three consecutive generations of membership in the Legion conferred hereditary
knighthood on the third member. It was the lowest rank (there was no écuyer
d'Empire).

Napoléon also created titles at his pleasure, and endowed them
totally or partially as he wished. In particular, he created a series of
titles of princes and dukes for his generals, the "victory titles", in
which the name of the title was derived from a particular battle. This
was not an invention of Napoleon: the British had been doing so since 1693
(viscount Barfleur) and the Spaniards since the 1730s at least
(e.g., marqués de Bitonto; Charles III of Sicily created the count of Montemar
duke of Bitonto in July 1734). But there were no precedents in France,
where until 1789 titles remained linked to land.

Baron for presidents of electoral colleges (with minimum tenure of 3 sessions),
First President of the Court of Cassation, First President and procureur-général
of the Court of Accounts (Cour des Comptes), First Presidents and procureurs-généraux
of the Courts of Appeal, mayors of the "bonnes villes" (37, later 52 major
cities), bishops. All offices had to be held at least 10 years before the
title became automatic. The titles could also be bestowed on generals,
prefects, mayors, military and civilian officers, at the emperor's pleasure.

Titles of princes and dukes were given:

to all of the Emperor's siblings (except Lucien, whose title of prince
of Canino was a pontifical title: Lucien and Napoléon fell out early
on)

to all Grands Dignitaires of the Empire:

Grand-Électeur Joseph Bonaparte

Connétable Louis Bonaparte

Grand-Amiral Joachim Murat

Archi-Chancelier d'État Eugène de Beauharnais

Archi-Chancelier de l'Empire Cambacérès

Archi-Trésorier Lebrun

Vice-Connétable Berthier, prince de Neufchâtel (9 Aug 1807)

Vice-Grand-Électeur Talleyrand, prince de Bévévent
(9 Aug 1807)

to most Grands Officiers of the Empire:

Vice-Grand-Électeur and Grand-Chambellan Talleyrand

Vice-Connétable and Grand-Veneur Berthier

Grand-Maréchal du Palais Duroc

Grand-Écuyer Caulaincourt

Governor of the departements beyond the Alps prince Borghese

Governor of the departements of Holland Lebrun

Grand-Aumônier Cardinal Fesch (Emperor's uncle): no title

Grand-Maître des Cérémonies Ségur: count

Grand-Chambellan Montesquiou (1809): count

Grand-Maréchal du Palais Bertrand (1813): count

to 14 out of the original 18 maréchaux d'Empire of 1804 (Brune and
Jourdan were not titled under the Empire, although they both became dukes
after the return of the Bourbons; Pérignon and Serrurier, promoted
honorary maréchaux, were not titled either) and to 5 of the 8 subsequent
maréchaux (Gouvion-Saint-Cyr, Poniatowski and Grouchy were not titled,
probably for lack of time). In making dukes out of his maréchaux
d'Empire, Napoleon was only perpetuating an Old Regime tradition.

There was a declension of titles: if a majorat had been formed, then the
son of a prince was a duke, the son of a duke was a count, the son of a
count was a baron. This innovation (inexistent under the Old Regime) was
preserved by the Restoration for peers.

In addition to titles, there existed the rank of prince français,
reserved
for members of the Imperial family eligible to succeed to the throne.

In all, about 2200 titles were created:

Princes and Dukes:

sovereign princes (3)

duchies grand fiefs (20)

victory princes (4)

victory dukedoms (10)

other dukedoms (3)

Counts (251)

Barons (1516)

Knights (385)

There were 239 remaining families holding 1st Empire titles in 1975. Of
those, perhaps 130-140 were titled. Only 1 title of prince and 7 titles
of duke remain.

The Majorats

The peculiarity of Napoleonic titles was the necessity for a title to
have an endowment (called a majorat) to which it was attached. Titles,
whether automatically obtained by office or conferred by the Emperor, were
life titles only, unless an endowment was created, either by the holder
of the title out of his own estate (for automatic titles) or by the Emperor
when he conferred the title. The endowment had to generate a minimum annual
income (200,000F for a duke, 30,000F for a count, 15,000F for a baron,
3,000F for a knight).

The endowment could be formed of estates free of any liens (estimated
on the basis of tax assessments and leases), government bonds, shares in
the Bank of France. The composition of the endowment had to be approved
by the Conseil du Sceau before the letters patent could be issued.

Once an endowment (or "majorat") had been created, the estates or securities
which comprised it were exempted from the normal civil laws (the Napoleon
Code), particularly from rules on division between heirs. The majorat remained
whole, and was transmitted by male primogeniture to the legitimate issue
(heir of body or adopted but with imperial approval in the latter case).
Bishops and archbishops could appoint a nephew to inherit their title.
The endowment could not be mortgaged, sold, or foreclosed. The majorat
carried no privilege or tax exemption of any kind, however.

An oath of loyalty was required of the recipient of a majorat, within
3 months of reception: "I swear to be faithful to the Emperor, his dynasty,
to obey the constitutions, laws and regulations of the Empire; to serve
His Majesty as a good, loyal and faithful subject; to raise my children
in the same feelings of faithfulness and obedience, to rise to the defense
of the Motherland any time the territory is endangered or when His Majesty
goes to head the army."

In case of extinction of the male line of the founder of the majorat,
the title became extinct, the estates forming the endowment were freed
and passed on to the heirs according to the normal rules of inheritance,
unless the endowment had been provided by the Emperor with reversion clauses.
The decree of March 1, 1808, does not say what happens if any of the requirements
on recipients are not met.

The law of May 9, 1835 suppressed
the requirement of a majorat to make titles hereditary, and specified that
existing majorats were to become extinct after the second inheritance (that
is, the estates became subject once again to ordinary inheritance laws).
However, the law applied only to majorats created by individuals out of
their own estates, not to majorats endowed by the Emperor, which continued
to exist under their own regime. These last majorats were abolished by
the finance law of April 22, 1905, pursuant to which the estates reverted
to the State in exchange for an indemnity (negotiated by a bilateral commission;
the total amount appropriated for these indemnities was capped at 15 times
the revenue of all existing majorats).

A side effect of the law of 1835 was that, since it eliminated the requirement
of creating a majorat, any original recipient who was still alive at that
date and had not yet created a majorat saw his title become hereditary.
This was significant, since creating a majorat was costly and few had done
so, only 15% of recipients.

The Annuaire de la noblesse de France published in 1858 and 1859 lists
of the two kinds of majorats, those endowed by the title holders themselves
(majorats sur demande) and those endowed by the Emperor (majorats
de propre mouvement).

Armory of the Principal Napoleonic Titles

This is an armory of the major Napoleonic titles (dukes and higher). In
the following list, an asterisk marks those that are not extinct. The coats
of arms are those of the individual to whom the title was granted; in most
cases I have omitted the mention of the chief of prince of the Empire or
duke of the Empire.

Joachim Murat, brother-in-law of the Emperor, was made king of the Two-Sicilies
by the treaty of Bayonne, 15 July 1808;
he reigned until 20 May 1815, when his troops surrendered to joint Austrian-British
forces. He had been formally recognized by Austria in a treaty of 11 Jan
1814.

The complete arms included 15 quarters, 14 of which represented the provinces of the kingdom of Naples, and the
15th the kingdom of Sicily (see a matrix of the seal).

The small arms were set as follows:

Per fess: in chief per pale, Azure two cornucopiae per saltire
or and Azure a dolphin argent for Naples; in base or a trinacria argent for Sicily.
Overall an escutcheon bearing Azure an imperial eagle or and insigned with an imperial crown.
Supports: two mermaids, one holding a cornucopia and the other
holding an oar and an anchor. Mantle gules with a bordure chequy argent and vert, lined ermine. Royal crown.

The change consisted in replacing the inescutcheon on the greater arms with that of Joachim Murat, and in modifying
the smaller arms to per fess, 1. France and 2. per pale Naples (or a horse salient sable) and Sicily (or a trinacria
argent). The supporters were slightly modified, the mermaids now holding a rudder and the other a cornucopia.
Behind the shield were placed a hand of justice and scepter, and above a crowned helm. Another addition was the
collar of the Order of the Two Sicilies.

Louis, brother of the Emperor, was created king of Holland by
treaty
of 5 June 1806 on 7 August Batavian Republic. A constitution was promulgated
soon after, incorporating the rule of succession defined in the treaty.
He was recognized as king of Holland by Prussia and Russia in the treaty
of Tilsit of 7 July 1807. Louis abdicated in favor of his two sons
Napoléon Louis and Charles Louis Napoléon on July 1, 1810,
and established his wife as regent (see the act in French
and Dutch in Martens, Nouveau Recueil Général, 9:332;
see also Pölitz, Europäische Verfassungen, 2:191).
This abdication was recognized in the Netherlands and a regency council
formed on July 3, but Napoleon ignored the act. A decree of 9 July 1810
simply annexed Holland to the French Empire. Holland was evacuated by French
troups in November 1813.

Quarterly Gules a lion holding a sword and a thunderbolt all
or, and Azure an imperial eagle or. (Arms defined by a law of 7 August
1806, quartering "the old arms of the State with the imperial eagle of
France").

Westphalia :

Jérôme, brother of the Emperor, was recognized as king of
of the yet-to-be-defined kingdom of Westphalia by Prussia and Russia at
Tilsit on 7 July 1807. A constitution was promulgated on 16 Nov 1807. He
reigned until 1813.

The king of Spain Carlos IV, his son Fernando prince of the Asturias, and
the other Infantes of Spain, had ceded their rights to the Crown of Spain
to Napoleon by treaty of Bayonne of 8 May and 10 May 1808. Napoleon then
ceded his rights to the crown of Spain and the Indies to his brother Joseph
by treaty of Bayonne, 5 July 1808.
A constitution was promulgated the next day. Joseph reigned until 1813,
when Napoleon returned Spain conditionally to Ferdinand VII (treaty of
Valançay, 13 Dec 1813) and French troups evacuated Spain.

Quarterly of 6, in three rows of two each, 1. Castile; 2. Leon;
3. Aragon; 4. Navarra; 5. Granada; 6. Indies (Azure, the old and the new
world or between the pillars of Hercules argent). Overall an escutcheon
azure an imperial eagle or.

Rome:

the purely honorary title of King of Rome was reserved for the heir apparent
of the Emperor (Napoleon's son, from 1811 to 1814).

Sovereign Grand-Dukes and Princes (3)

Both the grand-duchies of Cleves-Berg and Frankfurt were fully sovereign
states, members of the Confederation of the Rhine, and equal in status
in international law to any other European state ruled by a relative or
close ally of Napoleon. Tuscany was a purely honorary title.
Lucca-Piombino was a principality formed from the pre-existing,
independent republic of Lucca.

Cleves and Berg :

Transferred to Joachim Murat by decree
of 30 March 1806. Murat ceded them back to Napoleon by the treaty
of Bayonne, 15 July 1808. They were then granted by letters patent
of 3 March 1809 to Napoleon-Louis, eldest son of Louis, king of Holland,
who nominally held them until 1813 (laws in Berg and Cleves were promulgated
by Napoleon himself under the title of grand-duke).

Frankfurt:

created for Eugène de Beauharnais (Napoleon's
adopted son), in 1810, but only after the death of Archbishop Dalberg,
prince-primate of the German Confederation.
No arms were ever granted by Napoleon to Eugène.

This was not properly a sovereign grand-duchy, since Tuscany formed
part of the French Empire, but an honorary title. The kingdom of Etruria
or Tuscany was created by the treaty of Aranjuez of 21 March 1801 between
France and Spain, in favor of Lodovico I of Parma and his issue, with reversion
to the Spanish royal family. It was ceded to France by the secret treaty
of Fontainebleau of 27 October 1807 and united to the French Empire along
with Parma and Piacenza by a decree of 24 May 1808 ("fera partie intégrante
du territoire français"). On 2 March 1809, the (honorific) office
of "gouvernement géréral des départements formant
la Toscane" was raised to a "grande dignité de l'Empire," and it
was granted on 3 March 1809 to Élisa Bonaparte (she held it until 1
Feb 1814).
Quarterly Medici, Lucca, Massa-Carrara and Bonaparte, over all an
escutcheon azure an imperial eagle or.The arms of the kingdom of Etruria had been: per pale Farnese and
Gonzaga, the point per pale Lorraine and Austria. Overall an escutcheon
quarterly Castile and Leon, on which an escutcheon per pale Bourbon and
Medici.

Lucca-Piombino :

The principality of Piombino was ceded by the kingdom of Naples to
France by the treaty of Florence of 21 March 1801. Napoleon ceded Piombino
to Élisa Bonaparte and her husband the count Baciocchi by decree
of 18 March 1805. Soon after, on 4 June 1805, the Council of Elders of
the still-independent Republic of Lucca asked Napoleon, as king of Italy,
to entrust the government of the republic to a member of his family and
make it hereditary in the latter's natural issue. Accordingly, Napoleon
chose Elisa's husband Felix Baciocchi, and the choice was ratified by Lucca
on 14 June 1805. Baciocchi was named "prince of Lucca" by
the constitution of 23 June 1805. In case of his death the principality was to pass to Elisa
and after her to their male legitimate issue by order of primogeniture
(Pölitz, Europäsche Verfassungen)

"Sovereign" Princes (3)

The status of these principalities is a little ambiguous, as the texts
concerning them speak of "full sovereignty", yet (in the cases of Ponte-Corvo,
Benevento, and Neufchâtel) an oath of loyalty to Napeolon was required,
which makes them a little closer to fiefs. These statelets were presumably
ruled much the way Monaco is today, formally independent but closely dependent
on France. Guastalla was initially patterned on the same model but was
immediately annexed by the kingdom of Italy and turned into a ducal title.

Neufchâtel :

Maréchal Berthier was granted the principality of Neuchâtel,
formerly owned by Prussia, by
decree
of 30 March 1806.
Arms: see below under Wagram.

Guastalla:

Pauline, sister of the Emperor, was granted the principality of Guastalla,
with title of princess and duchess of Guastalla, by decree
of 30 March 1806. Her cession of the principality back to the kingdom
of Italy was authorized by a sénatus-consulte
of 14 August 1806; she retained the title of duchess. Her husband Camille
Borghese was naturalized French on 7 Germinal XIII, and later given the
office of the "gouvernement général des départements
au-delà des Alpes."

* Ponte Corvo :

(papal enclave in the kingdom of Naples, given Maréchal Bernadotte
was granted the principality of Ponte-Corvo, a former papal enclave in
the kingdom of Naples, by decree
of 5 June 1806. He ceded it back to the Emperor in 1810. It was then
given to Lucien, second son of Joachim Murat, in 1812, returned to the
Papal States in 1815; the descendants of Lucien Murat use the title)
Arms:Per pale, Or a sword azure
in fess, and Azure on a shield a sabre in bend or sheathed sable.

Benevent:

Talleyrand was granted the principality, a former papal enclave in
the kingdom of Naples, by decree
of 5 June 1806. It was returned to the Papel States in 1815.
Per pale Gules three lions or, armed langued and crowned azure (Talleyrand-Périgord)
and Or a boar sable (Benevento), a chief of sovereign prince of the Empire.

Venice:

this is not a sovereign principality, but an honorary title. The title
of the heir apparent to the kingdom of Italy was created by article 9 of
the decree of March 30, 1806.
It was conferred on Dec 17, 1807 to Eugène de Beauharnais, viceroy
of Italy and adopted son of Napoleon I. It was not endowed, and functioned
much like the title of king of Rome for the French Empire.

duchés grands fiefs de l'Empire

Since feudalism had been abolished in France, Napoleon could not satisfy
his desire to surround himself with great feudataries. He did so by establishing
"duchies great-fiefs" (duchés grands-fiefs) in the satellite
dominions of Italy. A total of 16 duchies were created in March 1806. The
peculiarity of these titles was that they were attached to a territorial
basis, and received an income from public funds in those territories (either
from general fiscal revenues of from the state's domains). This is different
altogether from the majorat system, which are private estates attached
after concession of the title by the grantee (even if the estates often
proceeded from a gift of the emperor), and owned as private property, albeit
subject to a special regime in civil law.

for the widow of general Duroc (1813, ext. 1829)
Arms: Quarterly: 1 and 4, Or a castle
with three towers gules, ports, windows and vanes sable; 2 and 3, Azure
a cavalryman holding in dexter hand a sabre unsheathed, all argent; over
all vert a mount or thereon a mullet of 5 points argent.

for Maret, minister (ext. 1906)
Arms: Per fess: 1, tierced in pale
or, gules and argent; 2, Gules a hand winged or writing with a sword argent;
over all Argent a granite column surmounted by an oak wreath proper, supported
by two lions combatant gules.

Vicence (Vicenza) :

for general Caulaincourt, Grand-Écuyer (ext. 1896)
Arms: Per pale sable and or,
on the first a wild man gules leaning on a club sable and supporting on
his dexter fist a rooster of the last.

Padoue (Padova) :

for general Arrighi de Casanova (24 April 1808, ext. 1888)

Rovigo :

for general Savary (ext. 1872)
Arms: Azure a chevron or between two
mullets pierced in chief and a cavalry sabre in base argent; over all an
escutcheon quarterly argent a lion passant proper and argent a saltire
gules.

In the Principality of Lucca-Piombino (1)

Massa et Carrara:

for Régnier, judge (ext. 1962)
Massa and Carrara were separated from the kingdom of Italy by article
8 of the decree of March 30, 1806
and united to the principality of Lucca-Piombino by another decree
of March 30, 1806. Arms: Ermine on
a fess sable three alerions or.

In the Kingdom of Naples (4)

for Gaudin, finance minister (1809, ext. 1841)
Arms: Or a pale azure chevronny of
the field, on a bordure azure a semy of bezants and plates.

* Otrante :

for Fouché, minister of Police (1809)
Arms: Azure a serpent entwined around
a column or thereon five ermine spots 2, 2 and 1.

* Reggio :

for maréchal Oudinot (1810, main line ext. 1956, but special
clause of the letters patent authorizing a substitution were applied)
Arms: Per pale, Gules three helms
in profile argent, and Argent a lion gules supporting a grenade sable inflamed
of the second.

Tarente :

for maréchal MacDonald (1809, ext. 1912)
Arms: Quarterly: 1, Argent a lion
gules; 2, Or an arm dexter armed holding a cross crosslet fitchy gules;
3, Argent a galley sable, sails and banner gules, on a sea vert, therein
a salmon of the field; 4, Argent a tree eradicated vert thereon an eagle
displayed sable, on a terrace in base or a scorpio sable in bend; over
all a crescent gules in fess point.

In the states of Parma and Piacenza (3)

Created by decree of 30 March 1806
in the states of Parma and Piacenza, ceded to France by the treaty of Aranjuez
of 21 March 1801. The territories were united to the French Empire
on 24 May 1808.

Parme :

for Cambacérès, author of the Code, Arch-Chancellor (24
April 1808, ext. 1824)
Arms: Or an arm dexter proper
vested gules lined ermine issuing from sinister flank, holding the tables
of the law sable, all between three lozenges of the last.

Victory Titles

Principalities (4)

Arms: Or two lions rampant guardant
gules, one in dexter chief and the other contourne in sinister base, each
holding a Polish lance, all within a bordure gobony or and gules.

* Essling for maréchal Masséna (1810)

Arms: Or a winged victory proper
holding in one hand a palm and the other an olive crown vert, in base a
dog couchant sable.

Moskowa for maréchal Ney (1813, ext. 1969)

Arms: Or, on an escutcheon azure between
two hands sable issuing from the center each holding a sword argent, an
orle of the first, all within a bordure of the second.

Wagram for maréchal Berthier (1809, ext. 1918)

Arms: Per pale: 1, Or a dexter arm
proper, vested azure semy of bees or and lined of the last, holding a sword
sable and on the arm a shield purpure, thereon the letter W within an orle
and the motto COMMILITONI VICTOR CAESAR, all or, and
a chief of duke of the Empire (Berthier); 2, Gules a on pale or three chevrons
sable, and a chief of prince of the Empire (Neufchâtel).

Dukedoms (11)

Elchingen for Ney (1808, ext. 1969)

Arms: Or on an inescutcheon azure between
two hands addorsed sable holding scimitars proper, an orle or, all within
a bordure azure.

Dantzig for maréchal Lefebvre (28 May 1807, ext. 1820)

Arms: Per pale: 1, Azure an arm
dexter proper armed and holding a sword argent hilted or; 2. Or on a fess
vert between two eagle wings addorsed in chief and a cross formy in base
sable, two men each leading a woman argent.

Arms: Quarterly: 1, Sable three mullets
of five points set 2 and 1 between three crows set 1 and 2 all argent;
2, Azure a palm-tree or surmounting a crescent argent; 3, Azure a ship
of three masts or on a sea argent; 4, Sable a lion or supporting a sword
argent.

* Auerstaedt for Davout (1808, ext. 1853, extended to collaterals)

Arms: Or two lions rampant guardant
gules, one in dexter chief and the other contourne in sinister base, each
holding a Polish lance, all within a bordure gobony or and gules.

Arms: Quarterly: 1 and 4, barry of
6 argent and gules; 2. Or on a standard gules shafted sable a patriarchal
cross argent; 3. per pale, a. azure a patriarchal cross or, b. gules an
arm proper issuant from a cloud in dexter and holding a sword argent, on
a chief of this quarter vert a lion argent.

* Rivoli for maréchal Masséna (1808)

Arms: Or a winged victory proper
holding in one hand a palm and the other an olive crown vert, in base a
dog couchant sable.

Valmy for maréchal Kellermann (1808, ext. 1868)

Arms: Per fess: Gules a crescent
inverted argent, and Argent three rocks vert on each a mullet of five points
gules.

* Albufera for maréchal Suchet (1813)

Arms: Quarterly of 8 in two rows of
4: 1, Or on four pallets gules three lance's heads argent; 2, Argent a
tower with three turrets sable; 3, quarterly gules a tower sable and or
a tree vert; 4, argent three pallets undy azure; 5, azure a galley of six
oars between the letters S A G in chief and a dolphin and an escallop in
base, all argent; 6, or on four pallets gules a lily argent; 7, Azure a
tower with three turrets sable on a terrace vert; 8, Or five mullets of
five points azure. Over all Gules a lion guardant passant over a wooden
bridge all or, supporting an olive branch argent.

Other Dukedoms

Dalberg for Emmerich de Dalberg, nephew of the prince-primate
of the Confederation of the Rhine (14 Apr 1810)

Navarre created by Letters Patent of April 9, 1810 for Joséphine
after the divorce from Napoléon (Mar 11, 1810), with reversion to
a son of Eugène de Beauharnais (note that the senatus-consulte of
16 Dec 1809 dissolving her marriage let her keep "the title and rank of crowned
empress-queen"). on her death in 1814, she was succeeded
by Auguste (1810-35), then his brother Maximilien (1817-52). At the latter's
death the heir was his son by a Russian Imperial princess, and the French
government refused to allow him to inherit the majorat since he was member
of a foreign ruling house and could not take the required oath (decision
of the Ministry of Finance, 1853; upheld by a decree of the Conseil d'Etat,
Aug 10, 1858). The title has been considered extinct as a consequence.
Navarre was a castle in Normandy, near Évreux; it had been built
by a count of Évreux, king of Navarre; in the possession of the
La Tour d'Auvergne family until 1801, it had become property of the French
state in 1809.

Arms: Quarterly, 1: Azure an Imperial eagle displayed or holding
a thunderbolt, 2-3: Azure a fess beneath three martlets in chief sable
(Beauharnais), 4: argent three pallets vert. The successors added a
chief of dukes of the Empire.

Titles in the Kingdom of Italy

Within the kingdom of Italy, Napoléon also created a hierarchy of
titles, parallel to the French hierarchy, but all titles were titles "of
the kingdom" as opposed to titles "of the Empire". Presidents of the Electoral
Colleges three times in a row were dukes, Grand Officers of the crown,
ministers, senators, Counselors of State were counts, etc (7th Constitutional
Statute of Italy, Sept. 4, 1808). Two dukes, about 100 counts and as many
barons were created. In 1812, holders of titles of previous regimes were
invited to petition for a grant of a new title. A complete list is in Bascapè
and Del Piazzo (1983).

The canton of counts was vert instead of azure, but the heraldry was
otherwise identical.

Titles elsewhere

Titles of the 2nd Empire (1852-70)

On December 2, 1851, Napoléon I's nephew Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte,
president of the French Republic, took power by force and dissolved the
National Assembly. On January 24, 1852 he restored titles of nobility which
the Republic had abolished in 1848. A senatus-consulte
of November 7, 1852 restored "the imperial dignity" vested it in Louis-Napoleon
Bonaparte, and made it hereditary in his direct legitimate descent, by
male primogeniture. As with Napoleon I, Napoleon III was allowed to adopt
a son from among the descent of the brothers of Napoleon I, but this ability
was denied to any successor. An organic
decree of December 18, 1852 named Jérôme Napoléon
and the direct legitimate male issue of his marriage with Catherine of
Wurttemberg as collateral successors after the Emperor's descent. A statute
of June 21, 1853 reestablished most of Napoleon's rules for the imperial
family, defined as the legitimate or adoptive descent of the emperor, and
the other princes with succession rights, their spouses and legitimate
descent. A referendum ratified the restoration of the Empire. Napoleon
III reigned 18 years (1852-70).

Under the 2nd Empire a few more titles were created, and many titles
were confirmed (although 114 out of 296 confirmations were for "titres
de courtoisie", that is, illegitimate titles which had been in use for
some period of time):

Princes: 2 confirmations (Essling and Moskowa)

Ducs: 4 creations, 10 confirmations and 1 foreign family

Marquis: 1 creation and 48 confirmations

Comtes: 40 creations and 79 confirmations

Vicomtes: 1 creation, 17 confirmations

Barons: 75 creations, 116 confirmation, 2 foreign families

Chevaliers: 24 confirmations

The heir to the throne was the Prince Impérial (Napoleon,
1856-79); at some point the title of Roi d'Algérie was mooted
but never adopted.

The first two titles are victory titles (from the Crimea War and the Campaign
of Italy respectively). If you're wondering about Magenta, yes, the color's
name has the same origin: it was discovered about that time by a patriotic
French scientist. Napoléon III also modified the remainders for
several titles of the 1st Empire to extend them to collateral or female
lines (Auerstaedt, Otrante, Feltre, Abrantès).

References

I don't know of any good source in English, most writers in that language
being understandably uninterested in the topic. The material is covered
in Pastoureau's Traité. A complete armory of the Empire is
Révérend, which also contains the full texts of the relevant
laws and decrees, and a large number of plates; see also Tulard. See Bascapè
and Del Piazzo for the Italian aspects of Napoleonic heraldry. A book on
the Bonaparte family which discusses their arms is Valynseele. See also
the plates in Neubecker's Heraldry (well, at least in the French
edition...).